The Dutch population is ageing

A quarter of the Dutch population will be over the age of 65 around 2040, Statistics Netherlands has forecast.

Currently, over-65s account for 14% of the population in the Netherlands. The Dutch statistics office says this percentage is set to grow in the decades to come, peaking at 24% around 2040.

Statistics Netherlands links the ageing of Holland’s population to the post-WWII baby boom and a sharp fall in the birth rate in the early 1970s. A continual increase in life expectancy is also a contributing factor

Unemployment numbers in the Netherlands rose slightly in the September-November quarter. Currently, 470,000 people are out of work, representing 6.2% of the labour force, up from 5.5% a year ago.

In 2050 Dutch women are expected to live nearly 83 years as opposed to 81 years in 2004. The average male life expectancy is several years shorter.

And in another statistic reflecting the ongoing political and social unrest in the Netherlands in recent years, Statistics Netherlands said the native Dutch population will shrink from 2007 onwards, driven mainly by emigration. It said there would be an annual net migration of almost 25,000 native Dutch in years to come.